It gets dangerous when you start allowing people to validate your work.
Interpretation
Dependence on others' validation can jeopardize your creative freedom and integrity.
Spike Lee's quote warns against the perils of seeking external approval for one's work. When individuals begin to prioritize the opinions of others over their own creative instincts, they risk losing their unique voice and authenticity. This dependence can lead to compromise in their work, resulting in a loss of passion and innovation, as well as potential criticism that could deter them from pursuing their artistic vision.
In practice
During a speech at a creative arts conference, a speaker might use this quote to encourage artists to trust their instincts.
I think that anyone who lives in New York, who's lived here, who's spent any time here, knows that it's basically a love-hate relationship, you might say. Even though I still think it's the greatest city in the world and I wouldn't live anywhere else, there're still things about it one doesn't like. The love far outweighs the negative.
There's an unwritten law that you cannot have a Jewish character in a film who isn't 100 percent perfect, or you're labeled anti-Semitic.
The truth is I've been doing Kickstarter before there was Kickstarter; there was no Internet. Social Media was writing letters, making phone calls, beating the bushes.
All directors are storytellers, so the motivation was to tell the story I wanted to tell. That's what I love.
Because many advances have happened, we've lost the urgency (and that's just human nature) that we had before, when we couldn't vote, couldn't use mass transportation, or drink from the fountains.
It comes down to this: black people were stripped of our identities when we were brought here, and it's been a quest since then to define who we are.
I want to say to the people, if I am a star, the people made me a star. No studio, no person, but the people did.
Measure the success of your days by the lives touched vs the hours passed.
Success is achieved twice. Once in the mind and the second time in the real world.
I think in business, you have to learn to be patient. Maybe I'm not very patient myself. But I think that I've learned the most is be able to wait for something and get it when it's the right time.
Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure.
That feeling is so intoxicating, walking off the court holding the Larry O'Brien trophy. So I just want to do that again.
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